Lake Blue Ridge Fishing Report – July 2006

Blue Ridge: Level: 0.8 feet below full pool. Temp: 80 degrees. Clarity: Clear. 

Bass: Fair. Guide Nathan Lewis was on the lake last week with is dad and caught a few smallmouths. “We were throwing topwater lures,” said Nathan. “I was throwing a Pop-R, and my dad was throwing a Spook or Super Spook Jr. A Zara Puppy is a good one, too, when the fish are breaking. For topwater, I like natural colors; anything in shad or black and white. The topwater has been a little hit-or-miss, but my dad caught a smallmouth that weighed about three pounds.” The better fish are off the banks, he said. “Blue Ridge has some long points that go out and finally drop into deep water. We were fishing with the boat in 70 or 80 feet of water, but casting up into 30 feet of water. The fish are on top, but they are over deep water. I think they suspend out there, and when the bluebacks come by they push them up to the surface.” Once the sun gets on the water, Nathan said he would switch to something like a fluke in pearl or silver rainbow colors. He prefers to fish a fluke unweighted, but if the wind is blowing he may put the bait on a leadhead jig so he can feel the bait. If you are fishing later into the day, Nathan recommends a drop-shot rig on rocky points with a green pumpkin Zoom Finesse worm. The smallmouths in the lake are growing big on bluebacks. Nathan caught one over five pounds last year and another this year. “We have caught a lot of smallmouths in the 3- or 4-lb. range,” he said.

Walleye: Dead during the day. Some anglers catch them at night by anchoring on main-lake points near the dam and fishing nightcrawlers on the bottom under crappie lights.